


Room for Lease

by eclipsed_pendulum



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-15 23:31:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8077567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eclipsed_pendulum/pseuds/eclipsed_pendulum
Summary: Torm, Tomatoredd, and Scribble Tom just barely escaped death, which had been Bing's laboratory. Now that they're free to explore the outside world, they're having a hard time adjusting. They weren't prepared, and is struggling to support themselves. In a moment of desperation, they eventually start looking at rooms for lease.





	1. Escape

Reject room #64 was generally quiet, with all of the clones generally keeping to themselves. They were fine on their own, and some clones were more adamant than the others to prove they can work independently, even if their entire identity circled around being clones of people mashed together. 

The speaker in the corner cackled to life, and through the static, the clones could just barely hear the pre-recorded, robotic voice signalling that it was time for the lights to go out. There was exactly five seconds, then the lights in the entire building went off, plunging the room into darkness. Most clones had fallen into the comfortable rhythm of waking up when the lights came back on at 6AM, and going to sleep when they turned off at 10PM. But some refused to, or just couldn't.

Torm glanced around the room, his void eyes slowly adjusting. He tugged at his jacket strings, extremely bored. He was fine, he could do this. Torm did this every night, staying up late, and still somehow waking up before the lights were on.

But something was off this night.

After the time past had been completely lost on Torm, he heard the door which led to the hallway opening, which then led to footsteps and whispering. Torm pressed himself against the door, trying not to disturb Tomatoredd, who lay asleep nearby. He could only pick up bits and pieces of the conversation, but it was enough.

"...can't keep them...suspicious...get rid of..."

And that was all Torm needed. He turned to Tomatoredd and shook his shoulder roughly. One eye, the void eye, blinked open. It was glassy with sleep, and squinted up at the other clones. The other eye was still shut, almost stubbornly refusing to open. It was likely that only one of the clones that made up Tomatoredd was awake. 

"Torm," the Tom part of Tomatoredd started talking, "I thought--"

Torm pressed his hand across the other clone's mouth, and quietly shushed him, gesturing towards the door, despite the fact that their eyes probably hadn't adjusted yet. Upon hearing the foorsteps, which were slowly growing louder, Tomatoredd froze up, and he was stock still for a few moments before his entire body seemed to come to life. Now the entirety of Tomatoredd was awake, and likely scared. Great. 

"Just be quiet, we can't give away that we're awake," Torm whispered, shuffling towards the others.

He tapped Scribble Tom with his foot, and the clone was immediately awake. Before he could say anything, Tomatoredd shushed him. It was clear that Scribble Tom could in fact hear the footsteps, because the small clone curled into himself, eyes wide. There was something in Torm, almost like pity, but not quite. _This clone was almost like a kid, and they're going to have to go through this._ The Tord side of Torm couldn't imagine going through something so painful as a kid, but the Tom side flashed back memories of pineapples, bears and guns. 

While Scribble and Tomatoredd woke up easily, Serious Tom and Realistic Matt was a different matter. They both were heavy sleepers, and the thought of them not waking up before they can escape set Torm on edge, and gave him an even greater motive to get all of them out of this room. 

"Thomas," Torm nudged the Tom clone, then growled quietly when they didn't respond. Great. So he turned to the Matt clone, and shoved him, "Matt, wake up."

None of them moved, and Torm groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose between his pointer finger and thumb. Before this moment, them being able to sleep had been endearing, now it was stressful and a cause for panic. They needed to get out--

There was the sound of a door opening. The muffled talking of clones, and then both a loud _thump_ and a unmistakable sound of a gun firing, a gun which obviously had a silencer on it. It slowly got louder, and Scribble had started shaking, hugging Tomatoredd's legs tightly. Torm sharply inhaled, and began shaking the other two clones shoulders harder, hands beginning to shake, "Wake up," he repeated, this time with much more force behind it, though his voice wavered. 

There was a mumbled, "Five more minutes," from Matt, and Thomas rolled away from Torm. They knew it wasn't 6AM yet, and probably wanted to preserve their delicate sleep schedule. But they didn't know that them waking up or not defined their fate. 

"Torm," the Edd part of Tomatoredd whispered, both eyes now fully awake and wide, "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Torm admitted, his arm falling limp at his side. He glanced between the sleeping clones, and something sparked in him. An idea. A _plan_. Torm spun around to face the two awake clones, and his British accent gave away to a Norwegian one as the Tord side of him began offering ideas, motioning animatedly with his arms, "I have an idea. It's probably a stupid idea, but it's the only one I got,"

Tomatoredd frowned, and looked back at the door with worry, the repetitive sounds of doors, gunshots, and bodies hitting the floor grew louder. It was likely that there was an argument going on inside his head, but his tense expression gave away to resignment as he sighed, "Fine. We need to wake up Thomas and Matt. I-- I mean we need them to escape too. We literally spent our entire lives together, we can't just leave them,""

"I'm sure I can somehow do that. So back to my plan, I was thinking we hide in a corner, jump them, take their weapons, and run like hell," Torm grinned, but it dropped as he gave the sleeping clones another rough shove. There was a thought lingering in the back of his head, and he knew it was true. They wouldn't wake up in time, and they would likely die. But damn it, Torm was not only stubborn, but also determined. He had to try. 

Scribble Tom sniffled, and rubbed at his misshapen tears with his much too large jacket, and the same thought seemed to be going through the smaller clone's head as he turned to the sleeping figures on the ground, "WoT AboT TomAS ANd mAT?"

"They'll escape too," Tomatoredd promised, after a moment's hesitation. He ruffled Scribble's hair playfully, though his eyes clearly showed that he didn't believe his own words. They all knew it.

The door in the room right next to them opened, and the three clones shoved themselves into a dark corner, shivering as they felt the vibrations of the gunshot through the wall. Tomatoredd picked Scribble Tom up in his arms, holding the small clone close as the footsteps came right out of their door.

It quietly opened, and their creators, the people they've never seen or heard until now, stepped in. This wasn't how they wanted to meet them. The blonde one stepped towards Thomas and Matt, while the one behind it all with defined dimples and curly brown hair stepped towards the three clones in the corner. Torm rushed forward, grabbing the director's wrist and twisting it, snatching the gun out of his hand. Pride rushed through him, until two gunshots rang out, and the previously sleeping clones continued to be unmoving, though this time they were dead, and blood began pooling around them.  

All Torm could see was red, and he threw a punch at the director, and turned towards the blonde associate, who shot another bullet, which ended up in Torm's shoulder. The clone grabbed the helper's arm with both hands, and bent down until he heard the crack of bone. 

Before Torm could relish in it, Tomatoredd tugged at his jacket, pulling him as he ran through the hallway. There was shouting behind them, both the yells of the angered men, and of scared clones, all who didn't need their lives to end so quickly, and horribly. Scribble Tom was crying, and when he would wipe his tears away, twice as much came back. The small clone was whimpering about how they'd promised. They'd promised that Serious Tom and Realistic Matt would escape.

Tomatoredd had clearly given the reigns to Tom, as he looked unaffected and apathetic. They needed to grieve on their own. Tapping into Tom's strangely large amount of strength, Tomatoredd punched the authorization panel, sparks flying everywhere. The glass that made up the panel had embedded itself into the clone's hand, but it didn't seem to affect him. The door gave a loud groan, and after a moment of rusty mechanical clicking, the door slid open, creaking the entire time. 

The three looked ahead them, and squinted against the white lights, but the blood was still pounding in their ears. The adrenaline was still pumping through their veins. They needed to _run_.

* * *

 

The sights, sounds and smells of the laboratory faded behind them, and Tomatoredd tugged Torm into an alley, still holding Scribble Tom close to their chest. The alleyway had a few cans and a box, and the three immediately crammed themselves into it, feeling the need to hide.

Though they were in almost complete silence, Tomaroredd could swear that he could still hear the angry yelling, and the horrified screams. With the other three making up him eventually started returning, and the adrenaline started fading, pain immediately flared up in his hand, and the clone would've instinctively cradled it, had not the smaller clone lying in their arms. 

Though they were surrounded by the smell of garbage and sweat, Scribble Tom could still smell the gunpowder from the guns that killed his family, and the metallic smell of blood that filled the room following their deaths. He was still sniffling, and his face was flushed from tears. But he'd cried all his tears away, and instead hiccuped quietly, still trying to curl in on himself. 

Though they were all pressed against one another, Torm could feel the crack of bone under his own hands, one of which was still carrying the gun he had taken. The scene kept replaying in his head, and his fingers curled, anger boiling inside him. Anger against the people who killed his friends-- no, _family_. Anger against himself. He was _there_. _He could've saved them_.

No one spoke. They were tired, and the new world was unfamiliar. They had grown accustomed to a blank white room, and this was so much. The sounds of cars driving by made them flinch, and the fact that there was the harsh yellow light of a lamppost, which was still on past 10, was unsettling, different. With all these unfamiliar smells and sounds surrounding them, the three fell into their own fitful sleep, one that was all different, but all the same. 


	2. Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomatoredd meets someone, and it seems like they might have made a friend. Friend used loosely.
> 
> Hey, do they kinda look familiar to you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (( note that this story will jump between episodes   
> but this chapter is set after moviemakers :0 ))

6AM rolled around, and the Matt, Tord and Edd in him woke up to an exasperated Tom, who had done nothing but look around with his void eye. He couldn't move any other part of Tomatoredd, which did slightly irritate him.  
The first thing Tomatoredd noticed was the light, or lack thereof. He bolted upright, looking around frantically. Where was he? Why wasn't the lights on? There was a squeak, but he ignored it, trying to wrap his mind around the situation. 

The sky was admittedly very pretty, with the sunrise painting the sky a calming orange hue, but he didn't notice. He just needed to get out. Suddenly, the memories hit him like a train, making him stumble back, and left the three sleepy minds in him reeling.

The previously dull ache in his hand suddenly flared up again, and this time he cradled it, because Scribble Tom wasn't in his way--

Wait, Scribble Tom! Tomatoredd spun around, facing the box he had shoved himself into. Scribble was the one who had squeaked, waking up as he tumbled off of the much taller clone. But he ended up curling into his hoodie, and going to sleep again. Torm looked exhausted, and was sleeping. A piece of the gun he had stolen stuck out of his hoodie pocket, and Tomatoredd took a step back, raising his good hand to his face. 

That was right-- Serious Tom and Realistic Matt were dead. How could he forget? He was _there_ , and they had been his _family_. 

Tomatoredd took in a deep breath, and finally released a sigh. He glanced out of the alley, at the small amount of people beginning to wander the streets. Some were talking on-- what was the word? Phone? Tomatoredd's head was swirling, and their memories were extremely unclear-- as if it had been stuffed with cotton, and only listened static. Shaking his head slightly, the fusion listened into the conversations, and he blinked once, then twice. Living in the laboratory nearly made him forget that not everyone has four different voices because of the four different minds inhabiting them. Again, _nearly_.  

He would have to have to choose one of them just to talk to people, wouldn't he?

But he also noticed something else. All of these people were going places, like a tall building. They all had jobs, and that's how they had made money.

_Money._

Back is the laboratory, money didn't matter. All food, albeit small rations, were given for free, and they had been constantly reminded by the speaker in the corner of their room. However, here, money did matter, and they couldn't live on the streets forever. They needed money in order to just  _stay alive_. Tomatoredd thought about being like one of those crazy homeless guys with rat puppets, traumatizing children, and shivered at the thought.

For a moment he considered applying for a job, but he paused. Glancing down at himself, Tomatoredd decided he looked decent, but the dull ache in his hand reminded him that he does in fact have glass lodged in his hand. That would not a great impression.

But he couldn't go to a hospital, they'd realize that he was not a single person, but instead four making up one body. That would be hard to explain. So the clone sighed, and winced at the thought of what he'd have to do. He is going to have to actually take the glass shards out himself. Needless to say, they were thankful when the Tord and the Tom part of them offered to take control for this.

Sinking to the ground, and crossing his legs, the four minds within Tomatoredd began to speak to one another.

_"So, Edd, what are we supposed to do?" Tom prompted, yanking a large chunk out of their hand. Pain shot up it, but it wasn't acknowledged._

_Edd groaned, and if a subconscious had hands, they'd probably cross them, "Why are you asking me?"_

_"You kinda are the leader," Matt chimed in, "You did find all the adventures we went on,"_

_"Yeah, but those weren't_ our _adventures," Tord sighed, picking out the smaller pieces of glass. His comment was deliberately ignored._

_"Well, I say we find a place hiring first. I mean, those ones always hiring," Edd huffed._

_"Oh! That sounds fun!" Matt cheered, his influence seeping into Tomatoredd, albeit it was just bouncing their leg._

_"Matt, we're trying to concentrate--"_

"Are you okay?"

Tomatoredd froze up, unintentionally yanking out the piece of glass he had been holding. Pain streaked up his body, but he turned to the voice, eyes widening.

There, in the entrance of the alleyway, stood a woman with a black hoodie and blue hair. Also, those shoes were something to behold. It was glittery and pink, with _heels_. What a sight. Something in the back of their head told them that she should be remembered, but they couldn't dig up the memories.

It was likely that their original selves had met her.

"Hey, you kinda look like those guys," the woman pointed out, rocking on the balls of her feet, leaning forward, genuinely curious, "The ones that hired me to help make Space Cats?"

_Oh._

Tomatoredd froze up, his mind swirling with who should talk to her. She knew them, but not really _them_. Hell, they didn't even know her name! So he awkwardly coughed, and withheld the three other mind's shock when a foreign accented voice rolled off their tongue, "Actually, I don't think we've met,"

The woman squinted at the them, glancing up and down Tomatoredd, "But I'm sure I knew you guys. There was a Matt, I think?"

"Still don't know who you are," Tomatoredd deadpanned, raising an eyebrow and gesturing vaguely with his arms. However, internally, all of them were screaming, trying to figure out who this woman was, and why in the world would their original selves make a movie that sounded as dumb as _Space Cats._

"Well, this is awkward," the woman laughed, waving at the air as if waving away the topic, "My name is Laurel,"

Tomatoredd blinked, "Redd," he said after he had paused for a moment and thought of a nickname that wouldn't arouse suspicion. This, Laurel, supposedly knew them. How awkward would it be to explain their existence? He almost held out his hand for her to shake, then remembered that his hand still, in fact, had glass shards in it. 

"Well, Redd, your hand looks pretty messed up," she pointed out, leaning extremely close to their hand. Tomatoredd instinctively leaned back, slightly uncomfortable. 

Tomatoredd's void eye narrowed, and the fusion shrugged, "Broke a mirror. Don't have the money to go to the hospital,"

_"What kind of excuse is that?" Tom huffed. There was a moment of silence and he spoke again, "Anyways, wasn't it bad luck or something to break a mirror?"_

_Edd made a clicking sound, "You got any better one?"_

_Tom gave a quiet growl, but didn't respond._

"That makes sense," Laurel laughed, rubbing the back of her head, and wincing slightly. Tomatoredd silently wondered what she meant, and if it had to do with whatever happened to the back of her head.

A heavy silence slowly crept into the conversation, and it quickly became awkward. Tomatoredd slowly shuffled to the side to block her view of Scribble Tom and Torm, who were still asleep in the box. 

Unfortunately, Laurel had seemed to caught on, standing up on her tiptoes to try see over the clone's shoulder, "Is there something behind you?"

At times like this, Tomatoredd was glad that they had Matt's height. So he shifted so her gaze was always blocked, "Nope,"

Laurel frowned slightly, though her expression quickly went back to an excitable one, "Maybe it's that sinister looking man in the alleyway! I always wanted to fight him," she held her fists up to her face, eyes shining with determination. 

"No one's fighting no one," Tomatoredd frowned, trying to look irritated. But his feet kept shuffling, and his hands were shaking. He just wanted her to _leave_. The less prying eyes, the better. 

But unfortunately she seemed to have a different idea, pouting as she dropped back from her tiptoes. She was silent for a moment, and she snapped, "Hey! How about we go get something?"

Tomatoredd squinted at her, as if searching her gaze for anything that suggested a malicious intent. Something about the fact that she knew the original selves set them on edge-- just people set them on edge. Especially since they had barely escaped death just yesterday. 

"Why not? She seems okay," Edd spoke nonchalantly, trying to turn Tomatoredd's head, but to no avail. 

"That's what she wants us to think," Tom spat, twitching one of the fusion's hands. He wanted to put that fist through something, preferably a window or a face, but the other minds had other ideas. 

Matt was quiet for a moment, then suggested, "Maybe she'll help us!"

"Matt gets the idea," Edd said. It was likely that if they had their own bodies, Edd would be patting Matt's shoulder. But unfortunately they aren't, so they had to make due with tone.

"Ok, fine," Tom huffed, and the three all went quiet, waiting for Tord to give the final verdict. 

"Sure. Suppose it can't hurt," Tomatoredd shrugged. Though that was partially untrue, since his hand was still bleeding, and probably going to swell up over the course of the day. 

Laurel beamed, and immediately started tugging at his arm, away from the alleyway. Tomatoredd glanced back, and silently hoped that Scribble Tom and Torm wouldn't freak out when they woke up. 

_I'll be back._


	3. Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scribble and Torm try to find Tomatoredd.

Scribble Tom awoke to the sound of Torm, pacing and muttering angrily, seemingly having an argument out loud. The small clone didn't exactly sleep well. Every time he closed his eyes, he could smell the gunpowder and the blood. When he finally did sleep, it was the same memory.  
But he, unlike the unfortunate two clones who they had grown to befriend, had survived the night, and shifted so he could see outside. Fatigue washed over Scribble, and he rubbed at his void eyes with his sleeve, "ToRM?"

Torm seemingly paused mid-sentence, his entire posture stiffening, and turned to the smaller clone. There was a moment of silence, but his expression shifted from anger and fear to relief, "You're awake,"

Scribble gave a nod, but looked around, drawing his knees close to his chest. The alleyway smelled like alcohol, garbage and sweat-- something he'd never smell in the laboratory. He didn't like it. 

Torm took a deep breath, frowning. But he tugged at his hoodie strings nervously, and kept glancing around, "So Tomatoredd decided to leave without as much of a goodbye, and--"

Scribble stared up at the once proud clone, who was fidgeting and glancing at his hands every so often. He eventually ended up with his back against one of the alleyway walls, and sinking to the ground, with Scribble racing over to him.

Torm sighed and gave Scribble's hair a halfhearted ruffle, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do,"

Scribble Tom's eyes widened and he let out a quiet whimper, pressing up against Torm's touch. His family was falling apart, he just needed to know that Torm was still there, "WiLL TomATo rETurN?"

Torm let out a dry, bitter laugh, tugging harshly on a hoodie string, and it ended up tearing. However, the clone didn't acknowledge it, "Who knows. They have Edd and Matt in them. No doubt they're probably charming their way through the city,"

"BuT WilL He COmE BaK?"

"No clue," Torm huffed, giving a vague gesture with his free hand. He gave a quiet growl, and glanced back at the entrance of the alleyway once again. 

Scribble did as well. They both seemed to expect the fusion to suddenly pop up. Unfortunately, they didn't. Seconds blended into minutes, and time eventually got lost of the two clones. Scribble wiped at his void eyes furiously, not wanting to cry. Torm frowned slightly, turning his head away from the smaller clone.

The fusion gave a sigh, dragging a hand down his face, then proceeded to shove it, along with his other hand, into his jacket pockets. Immediately following that, the fusion stiffened for a second, but slowly relaxed, "We can search for him, if you want to,"

Scribble thought for a moment, shuffling his feet. He tossed the idea around in his head. If they could find Tomatoredd, they'd ~~almost~~ be a family again! Sure of his answer, Scribble gave a nod, and looked up at the larger clone, eyes wide, "pLEEz,"

Torm squinted at the smaller clone, but didn't say anything, scooting forward slightly. He winced, knowing that it was now likely that he had smeared something on his pants by doing that. Scribble didn't say anything as they scrambled up Torm's back, eventually throwing his legs over the larger clone's shoulders, and resting his head on Torm's hair. 

Torm rolled his eyes, and slowly brought himself to his feet, staggering slightly. Straightening his back, Torm shuffled around. Scribble looked around the alleyway from his vantage point, leaning slightly as if to try see better, "We gON FinD TomATo?"

"Yes, and you'll be able to cry over him once we find him," Torm replied cooly, walking out of the alleyway, and nearly crashing into someone. 

Whoops.

Torm stumbled back, and Scribble gave a squeak of surprise as he swung his arms around, trying to maintain his balance. Torm kept his hands in his pocket as he slowly regained his footing, scowling at the man who they'd run into. The stranger seemed to have a spark of recognition as he looked them over, but didn't say anything. However, he did give the two a glare as he stalked away.

Scribble scrunched up his nose, trying to wave away the lingering smell of cigar smoke away from him. Torm growled and yelled an insult after the man, and showed them his favorite finger, grumbling the entire time. His language was very colourful, and Scribble didn't understand half of what was being said. 

The smaller clone eventually shrugged off the experience, and began glancing around once again, trying to find a flash of orange, or at least the mismatched colours of Tomatoredd's clothing. Honestly, how did fusing people blend their clothes? It's a mystery, and no one seemed to know.

Scribble leaned over and pat Torm's forehead, who gave a quiet grunt of acknowledgement, and ended up pointing a finger in a random direction, "CAn we lOOk tHEr?"

Torm searched the area, squinting, and eventually shrugged, beginning to walk in that direction, "Sure. You are taller right now, after all,"

Scribble blinked at the people that walked past them, sometimes giving them a wave if he felt brave enough. The lab had made him so used to seeing only four different traits, so seeing people who wore something other than blue, purple, red or green was a slight surprise. Honestly, Scribble only knew about the lab. Other clones talked about how they could remember people, but Scribble barely could, and he felt out of place. Nevertheless, he kept his head up high, trying to find his family. 

"Can you see him?" Torm had raised a hand over his eyes, and scanning the area. None of them could see the taller clone, and Scribble frowned slightly.

"nO," Scribble kicked his feet angrily, and attempted to sink his head deeper into the mess of hair that belongs to Torm. He just wanted to find Tomatoredd, was that too much to ask? 

Torm winced whenever the smaller clone swung his legs, as it always ended up digging into his shoulder, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he looked thoughtful for a moment, and he brought down his hand, shoving it back into his pocket, "Where could he even go?"

Scribble tugged at his hoodie strings, thinking hard. Maybe Tomatoredd went to get them food? The thought was waved away as Scribble realized he didn't know where people buy food, and couldn't make any assumptions. Then a vague memory struck him, and he let go of the string as he perked up, beaming with enthusiasm, "WeRK?"

"Oh. _Oh_ ," Torm blinked once, then twice, and suddenly paused mid-step, giving a slight nod of approval, and a thumbs up, "That sounds like something Tomatoredd would do,"

Scribble brightened at that, bouncing slightly from his spot on Torm's shoulders. It was good news-- Tomatoredd wasn't missing, and he would return by night! Maybe he--

"No way," Torm suddenly interrupted his thoughts, his voice suddenly changing from Tom's to Tord's. Torm was smirking and he raised a hand to muffle his laughter, "I found him," 

Scribble followed his line of eyesight, and eventually spotted Tomatoredd sitting inside a coffee shop, and although he looked awkward, he was talking animatedly, making many hand gestures as he talked. The fusion was talking to a blue-haired woman, who looked genuinely interested. Scribble frowned slightly, not remembering her. Did Tomatoredd know her? 

"Redd's gonna get lai--" Torm had cupped one of his hands around his mouth and had started yelling, but at the last moment, one his hands raised and he ended up smacking himself across the face. When he spoke again, his accent was a British one once again, " _Language_. Don't forget that Scribble's still here,"

Scribble glanced down at Torm, and tilted his head, confused. _What was Torm going to say? Why couldn't it be said around him?_ But he tapped Torm's forehead once again, glancing up at Tomatoredd every few seconds, as if the fusion would disappear if he looked away for too long, "WhY Not sEE Him?"

Torm grinned, and began to stride towards the shop, his voice coming out with a Norwegian accent once again, "Let's go visit Redd,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> scribs is a pure bab


	4. Coffee

"Yo Redd!"

Tomatoredd glanced up and spotted Torm near the entrance, who had a hand cupped around his mouth, and shoved it back into his hoodie pocket when he met Tomatoredd's gaze. Scribble was perched on his shoulders, eyeing at the other people in the store with unease.

"Torm! What are you doing here?" Tomatoredd gestured towards them, raising an eyebrow as he did so, and though his words were sharp, his stiff posture immediately softened and his expression relaxed into something akin to contentment. 

Torm's void eyes swept the table, and he pointed at the empty seat, turning his head towards the other fusion, "Where'd that chick go? Redd, did you scare her off?"

Tomatoredd's expression suddenly shifted to irritation, eyes narrowing as he huffed, crossing his arms and sinking deeper into his seat, voice slipping from Tord's to Edd's as he pouted, "I did not, she's just in the lavatory,"

"GrOs," Scribble exclaimed as he scrunched up his nose. He then proceeded to lean over Torm's head, who winced slightly, glancing between Tomatoredd and his cup of coffee, which Laurel had bought for him, and waved his hand towards it, "WaT DAt?"

"Coffee," Tomatoredd replied, taking a gulp out of it immediately after. He noted the expression on the smaller clone's face and smirked as he set it down, "But you can't have any. Coffee stops you from growing, you know,"

Scribble let out a squeak, leaning away as if it was acid, "I WaNT tO Gro!"

Torm was staring intently at the cup, his face suddenly serious, squinting and eyebrows knitted together. He glanced up and when he spoke, it was Tom's voice, "Does coffee really stop you from growing?"

Tomatoredd made some unintelligible noise, eyebrows shooting up his face in surprise. The sharp response of 'no' was on his tongue, but he glanced at Scribble, who seemed interested, and nodded, "Why yes, it does,"

Torm groaned, and buried his face in his hands, but stiffened up and dropped his hands back into his pockets. Tomatoredd blinked at him, reaching his hand out towards the other fusion, but stopped short, withdrawing it and instead settling on speaking his concern, "Torm? Are you okay?"

"Totally," Torm flashed a reassuring smile, and shifted awkwardly on his feet. Suddenly his eyes widened as a thought crossed his mind, and his smile dropped to a frown, pointing at the cup, "Wait, are you going to have to pay for this?"

Tomatoredd shook his head, and gave a dismissive wave, "Nah, Laurel already paid for it," the fusion looked thoughtful for a moment before talking again, "To be honest, I don't know how she would react to you two,"

There was a moment of silence before Scribble tilted his head, confused, "YOu saID SHe nISE?"

"Yeah, she's nice," Tomatoredd shrugged, waving his hand, "I think she's met us before. Something about Space Cats?"

Torm raised an eyebrow, and eventually lifted Scribble off his shoulders, maintaining a straight face, although his movements was admittedly choppy. Scribble stared at the shiny floor, and frowned at it slightly. He gave his reflection a poke with his foot, but didn't say anything.

"So," Torm coughed, as if trying to break the silence that had settled between them, "Should we leave or...?"

"I didn't think up until then," Tomatoredd frowned slightly, but eventually gave a shrug, "Just don't go to far,"

Torm snorted, and if he had visible eyes, he'd probably be rolling them. He placed one of his hands on his hips, flashing a grin, "Jeez Redd, you're making us sound like dogs,"

Tomatoredd sputtered, raising a hand to his face and glanced around as he thought of a response, "Not like that!"

"IT oKAY," Scribble pat Tomatoredd's knee, before scrambling over to Torm, and looking up at the fusion expectantly. Torm frowned as he thought of what Scribble could want, but eventually he realized Scribble still wanted to be carried by his shoulders, and sighed. When the taller clone shook his head, Scribble jut out his lower lip, but didn't voice his complaints.

Torm ruffled Scribble's hair affectionately, instead grabbing his hand and leading him out of the building, smaller clone bouncing with each step. Tomatoredd watched them leave, returning the enthusiastic wave he got from Scribble. He only focused on them, trying to ignore the looks he knew they were getting.

"So who were you talking to?"

Tomatoredd jumped slightly as Laurel poked her head around, sliding into her seat, and biting into a muffin that seemed to appear out of no where.

"Old friends," Tomatoredd brushed down his hoodie, and offered her his most convincing smile.

Laurel blinked, pausing mid-chew to consider the idea. She opened her mouth to speak, but immediately closed it and raised a finger as she swallowed the muffin. Giving a nod, she folded her hands together and beamed brightly, "That's cool!"

Tomatoredd shoved his hands into his pockets, and leaned back in his seat, watching the faint steam that came off the coffee. It was getting cold. Laurel seemed to have noticed too, because she pointed at it, "You gonna drink that?"

"Later, probably," Tomatoredd replied, taking an almost hesitant sip out of it. Tord never liked coffee, so as long as he fronted, that coffee was never going to be finished.

"You can take it to go," Laurel pointed out, her leg starting to bounce under the table.

"True," Tomatoredd muttered, partially to himself, "Wait, do you want to leave?"

Laurel gave a vague gesture, glancing outside at the street. Tomatoredd followed her gaze, and nearly gave a sigh of relief when he didn't spot Torm or Scribble, "Sure, I guess,"

Eventually she got up, eating the last of the muffin with quick bites, and held her hand out, "It's been great meeting you, Redd,"

Tomatoredd rose to his feet, giving her hand a shake, "You too,"

Laurel beamed, and waved as she left, "I hope we can meet again!"

"Me too," Tomatoredd waved back, waiting until she walked completely out before picking up the coffee. He frowned at it, but knew it would be wasteful to not drink it. A quick switch to Edd, and the clone downed the entire cup. 

Tomatoredd stood there for a few moments before he walked forward, throwing away the cup and out of the store. Looking up and down the street, he couldn't see the blue of Laurel's hair, or the mismatched colours of Torm's hoodie. People were still walking through the street, and there was the constant feeling that he had met them before, and he shrugged off all of them. He walked aimlessly, pausing sometimes to glance at anything that caught their eye.

* * *

"Uh, Redd?"

Tomatoredd spun around, eyes wide. He relaxed as he saw Torm and Scribble. Torm's eyebrows were knit together, and he looked as if he was going to ask a question, but no other words were spoken.

"wAT daT?" Scribble scrambled over to the larger clone, and pointed at the window Tomatoredd had been staring at. Inside was a bunch of TVs, and they all displayed the same ad. Over and over. It would be called repetitive by Tomatoredd any other day, but not this ad. 

Tomatoredd feigned a look of shock and horror, dramatically placing his hand over his chest, and leaning back, "You haven't had Cola?"

Scribble tugged at his hoodie strings, looking at the sidewalk and giving it a small kick, "nO,"

"I was joking," Tomatoredd gave Scribble's shoulder a pat, "But you should try it. It's a drink, and it's the best thing ever,"

Torm scoffed, crossing his arms. His expression was relatively neutral, which the other clones would learn that that often meant Tom was fronting, "Scrib's already hyper enough,"

Scribble's eyes widened, and he drew his hands close to his chest, his voice quiet as he whispered, "iS COla.. bAD?"

Tomatoredd stuck out his tongue at Torm before facing Scribble, "It's not bad. Torm just isn't good enough for Cola,"

"bUT i aM?"

Torm frowned, curling slightly into himself, but saying nothing. Tomatoredd felt a twinge of guilt, but didn't dwell on it, "Of course,"

Scribble bounced slightly, giving a large smile to the taller clone. He raced back over to Torm, and pat his knee, "yOUr gOod tO Me,"

Torm squinted at Scribble, and almost seemed to search his gaze. Which is rather strange if you take into consideration the fact that Scribble has void eyes, but it still happened. He eventually gave a small smile and grabbed the smaller clone's hand once more, glancing up at Tomatoredd, "Should we go back to the alley?"

Tomatoredd blinked. He had been expecting Torm to say 'home', but they had only been in the alley for a night. Thoughts of the lab lingered in the back of the fusion's mind, but he didn't want to think about it too much. So instead he pryed himself away from the window as he began to walk down the street, motioning for the other two to follow, "Sure, let's go,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how to properly conclude chapters  
> -a book not written by me


	5. Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In his mind, stars are lost people.  
> Therefore, his family is made up of stars.

Scribble blinked open his eyes, glancing around. He had been shoved into the corner of the box, but it was a comfortable corner. Or was it his hoodie? Anyways, the smaller clone sat up, glancing around. He easily identified Tomatoredd, who was still asleep. Torm was slightly harder to tell, as the fusion had buried nearly half of their face in their hoodie.

The small clone brought his knees up to his chest, and began glancing around, trying to take in the cardboard box in all of its glory. It was rather large, and it smelled foul. Was it the alleyway, the box, or them? This probably would've been hard to figure out, except Scribble could easily pick out the scents, and he could tell which smell belong to what.

So he shuffled away from Torm.

Speaking if Torm, Scribble briefly wondered why he wasn't awake yet, as the fusion is commonly the first to wake up. Scribble brushed it off immediately, trying to peer outside.  
It was still rather dark, and the street lamps were still on. Scribble still hadn't gotten used to the lights staying on past 10, but it was interesting nonetheless, so the curious clone stared at it for a moment.

Breaking his gaze at the lamp, Scribble scrambled over Tomatoredd's legs, which stretched across the box, and tiptoed around Torm. Out of the box, the night air whipped around the small clone, who stared up at the night sky incredulously.

There was some dark clouds on the horizon, but one could still see the few stars that shone through the lit city. Scribble brushed some of his hair out of his face, trying to figure out what the stars were. How did they get there? Did someone forget them?

The thought stirred his curiosity, and he dwelled on the thought. The idea of stars being someone who was lost, someone who thought they knew what the world was like, only for it to be turned upside down, took over his mind, and he fixated at two particular stars, both glittering warmly in the cool tones of the sky and he pondered if it was Realistic Matt and Serious Tom. _His family._ The idea of them always being there to watch him caused the small clone to smile, and he promised he'd make them proud. 

Scribble glanced at the ground, and when he didn't see the glitter of water, he sat down, crossing his legs. A few people walked past the alleyway and gave him an odd glance, but none of them spoke to him. Scribble was fine with that.

"iM LikE YOu," Scribble gave a quiet laugh, reaching a hand up, and drawing shapes in the stars.

There was the thundering roar of a car engine, and Scribble squeaked loudly, flinching and falling onto his back. He scrambled to his feet and dove behind the box, eyes wide and tugging on his hoodie strings. The car drove past, and Scribble watched it, his grip loosening, and eventually his hands fell to his sides. The small clone walked over to the entrance, and peered around the corner. The car was becoming nothing but a red blur in the distance, and Scribble remembered the noise from the first night they had spent here. If it was the same car or not got lost on Scribble, who instead shrugged it off as similar noises.

Glancing the other way, Scribble saw a few stores, and a phone booth, but nothing out of the ordinary. One store was still brightly lit, and there was a logo on the window. From this angle, he couldn't tell what it was supposed to be, or what the store was called in the first place. He wanted to explore, but he didn't want to leave Torm or Tomatoredd alone. He's probably caused them enough panic. Scribble blinked furiously, tugging harshly on his hoodie strings. He was sure that--

"Scribble?"

The small clone froze up and spun around, half expecting for it to be another clone, who had been as lucky as them, and escaped. The hope was immediately crushed, as through the harsh street light, Scribble recognized Tomatoredd looking at him from inside the box. The same light tinted Tomatoredd's normally ginger hair with a strange yellow, almost mustard, colour, and the fusion was rubbing at their eyes, yawning.

"yAS?"

Tomatoredd pat the ground next to them, eyes fully open, though they were still glassy with sleep. He opened his mouth, as if to speak, and it got cut off by a yawn, but it passed he was looking semi-alert again,"Come back to sleep."

Scribble gave a nod, and paused for a moment, glancing up and giving a small wave to the sky before padding over to the box. He maneuvered around Torm, who was still asleep, and curled up next to Tomatoredd, who had a quizzical look on his face, "Who were you waving at?"

"tHE liGHts iN The sKY," Scribble beamed, pointing outside.

Tomatoredd leaned over, looking outside, almost curious. But there was a glimmer of recognition in his eyes, and he chuckled, glancing over at Scribble as his lips tugged into a small grin, "They're stars."

Scribble tilted his head, the word unfamiliar and almost foreign, no matter how much he thought about it, "..sTArs?"

"That's what they're called," Tomatoredd replied, punctuating the end of his sentence with a nod.

Scribble shuffled his feet, looking at the cardboard floor as he spoke, "i tINk thEY Are loST."

The fusion didn't even question it, instead just nodding and slowly dozing off. Scribble blinked once, then twice, glancing out of the box and at the sky once more. He stared for a moment before pulling his hoodie up around his face, trying to will himself to sleep, "niTE."

* * *

 

The stars were lost.

Like them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was more of less a short filler?? just waiting for a good time to usher in some subplots  
> ;)


	6. Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Torm and Scribble run away. It's not as bad as it seems. Almost.

Tomatoredd slowly awoke, his hand already tapping impatiently as all four minds eventually shook off their sleep. Mentally, of course. For Tomatoredd was still cramped in the box, and if he stretched, he was sure he'd break it.

Glancing to his sides, the fusion was pleasantly surprised to see that Scribble and Torm were still asleep. Especially Scribble, since Tomatoredd caught him awake earlier.

Tomatoredd wanted to get out of the box, go explore the city a bit more, maybe see if he can land a job somewhere. Unfortunately he realized that he was stuck. Torm was sleeping near the entrance, knees brought close to his chest and head being swallowed by his hoodie. On the other side was Scribble, who was curled up and chewing on a piece of cardboard. Ew.

Groaning, Tomatoredd simply shoved his way past Torm, and scrambled out of the box, and into the alleyway. Glancing back, Torm had awoken, and was giving a halfhearted glare. The other fusion huffed, pulling his hoodie tighter around him and further up his face.

Tomatoredd kneeled and shook the fusion's shoulder lightly, not noticing the way Torm flinched away from the touch, "I was going to check out the city, and I don't want a repeat of yesterday."

Torm glanced between Tomatoredd and the road, and gave a grunt of acknowledgement, struggling to get to his feet. When he did, he ended up leaning heavily against the wall.

"You okay?"

"'M tired," Torm replied, voice raspy and slightly slurred. He eventually regained his footing, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Tomatoredd stared for a moment, but eventually nodded and reached further into the box to awake Scribble. Giving a gentle tap, the clone flailed for a couple moments before waking up.

"iM WAke!"

Tomatoredd stifled a laugh, standing up and waiting for Scribble to pad out of the box, rubbing at his eyes. The small clone eventually pouted, crossing his arms, "fIvE MOre miNUts?"

"That's what you get for going to sleep so late," Tomatoredd smirked, patting Scribble's shoulder and walking over to Torm, who was sitting on the sidewalk, outside the alleyway.

"What are you doing?"

"The sidewalk is warm."

"You're weird," Tomatoredd rolled his eyes playfully, but Torm turned his head away.

Scribble sat down next to Torm, occasionally glancing at them with his eyebrows furrowed, but didn't say anything, instead just petting a shoot of grass that had grown in the crack in the sidewalk. Tomatoredd sighed, smiling warmly at them. Scribble began talking animatedly, and Torm seemed to bury himself further into his hoodie, looking as if he might fall asleep then and there.

"tOMaTo sAiD THeY R stArs," Scribble pointed at the fusion as if to emphasize their point, and turned around expectantly.

Realizing that he had not heard anything that Scribble had said, Tomatoredd gave an awkward smile and gestured vaguely in the smaller clone's direction, "Yeah."

Scribble tilted his head for a moment, but eventually gave a nod, and spun towards Torm. Scibble frowned as he realized the other fusion hadn't been listening to a word he'd said, and huffed quietly.

"We need to get out of this alleyway," Tomatoredd tapped Torm's thigh with his foot, and gave a gesture towards the street. He nearly slapped someone doing that, but the point got across.

Torm grumbled as he got back to his feet, and Scribble bounced up immediately. Tomatoredd began walking, glancing up and down the streets. Scribble scrambled after, desperately trying to avoid stepping on any greens growing.

Torm was sluggishly following, still trying to rub sleep out of his eyes. Eventually he just used one hand, and the other was dropped to his pocket. Scribble lagged behind purposely, so Torm could catch up. When the fusion made no attempt at walking faster, Scribble grabbed the hand Torm had in his pocket and started tugging him along.

There was a flash of emotions across Torm's faces, ones Tomatoredd couldn't decipher. The Tom within him was quiet. The other fusion roughly yanked his hand out of Scribble's grasp. The small clone kept glancing between his and Torm's hands, as if realizing something Tomatoredd didn't.

"'M fine," Torm repeated, responding to a question that hadn't been spoken, but was obviously on everyone's minds. When he did grab Scribble's hand, he used his other hand. The one he used to rub at his eyes.

Tormatoredd frowned, knowing that he was missing _something, but he couldn't remember it.  
_ So the walk fell into an awkward silence, both Scribble and Tomatoredd glancing at Torm every once and a while. There was a moment where Scribble whispered something to himself, but neither fusions could hear what was said.

"Redd?"

Tomatoredd froze up, spotting Laurel across the street. He gave an awkward wave, the minds within shoving Tord to front, "Hello."

She seemed to be squinting at them from her spot. Next to him, Torm took in a sharp inhale, beginning to sprint down the street, dragging Scribble behind him. Tomatoredd watched them go in amazement and slight fear.

Glancing around, Laurel paused for a second before dashing across the road, eventually ending up next to the fusion, "Who was that?"

"Them? Uh," Tomatoredd glanced at the red and blue blurs in the distance, watching as Torm ducked into an alleyway, Scribble giving a wave before scrambling after, "Old friends."

Laurel gave a nod, though she obviously was thinking, "Huh. One of them looked familiar, almost."

Tomatoredd waved it off, shuffling his feet, "Probably just a coincidence."

"Of course," Laurel replied. There was a look on her face, one Tomatoredd knew all too well. She's trying to _remember_ , "Small town, huh?"

"Yeah. Didn't expect to run into you again," Tomatoredd meant it. He had planned to drag Scribble and Torm along as he tried to find a job.

_"We should've expected this," Tom huffed within, and began to grumble, "It's just our luck."_

_"Tom, don't be so rude!" Edd's voice rang out once more, and if they had bodies, he'd probably have the Mother Look™. The_ 'I'm not angry, just disappointed' _look._

"So what were you going to do?" Laurel asked, seeming to be genuinely interested. She had begun bouncing slightly again, something Tomatoredd had noted she did a lot.

Tomatoredd glanced around, trying to think up a good excuse. All four minds within him drew a blank, and he gave a defeated sigh, rubbing the back of his head, "Looking for a job."

Laurel didn't look surprised in the slightest, instead shrugging, "Figured."

"Huh," Tomatoredd huffed, pouting slightly as he crossed his arms, "How did you know?"

"Well, you were sitting in an alley," Laurel pointed out. Tomatoredd opened his mouth to object, but she cut him off, "And you didn't have the money to at least buy band-aids."

Tomatoredd glanced at his hand, which had been covered in a thick layer of band-aids, provided from Laurel. It looked gaudy and it was uncomfortable, but it did it's job. Admitting defeat, Tomatoredd raised his hands in the air, "You caught me."

Laurel beamed, placing her hands on her hips and standing up straight. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, and glanced at the time. Her eyes widened and she paled. Tomatoredd was about to ask if she was okay, but she pocketed her phone, words coming out in a rushed, jumbled mess, "I'm running late-- gotta go!"

Thus, another person sprinted away from Tomatoredd, who was as confused as he had been when the other two clones ran away, "Right."

People kept moving around him, and he felt lost for a moment. But then he remembered that Torm and Scribble were waiting for him, so he turned in the direction they went, and began to walk.

Suddenly, the ground seemed way more interesting. The small intentions and ridges in the concrete, the explosion of spiderweb-like cracks near trees, it wasn't until he heard angry grumbling and concerned squeaks did Tomatoredd realize he almost walked past his family.

The alleyway was nearly identical to the one they resided in, floor permanently stained, walls unchanged for presumably years. The only difference was a lack of the box. Torm and Scribble were both sitting on the floor. Torm was grumbling to himself as he held his head with one hand. Scribble only seemed to be squeaking, as if not trusting his voice.

"What happened?" Tomatoredd stepped forward. He reached out to Torm, but the other fusion shuffled away from the touch.

"Just a headache," Torm shrugged, but immediately curled into himself, drawing his legs up to his chest, mumbling something under his breath. Scribble let out an alarmed squeak, looking up at Tomatoredd and back at Torm frantically.

"Can you get back to our alleyway?" Tomatoredd asked, trying to focus on going back to somewhere familiar.

Torm glanced up at Tomatoredd and gave a grunt, stumbling to his feet. Scribble was quiet, just trailing along without a word. He kept tugging at his hoodie strings. Tomatoredd just focused on the road ahead, trying to stay optimistic. He glanced at Torm, considering trying to reach out to him again, "Who's fronting right now?"

Torm raised an eyebrow, his muttering stopping. He frowned lightly, "Tom."

"But..." Tomatoredd's voice trailed off, and he rubbed at his hands subconsciously. In his experience, Tom had a hard time feeling wounds, which is why they were glad when he fronted during the escape.

Torm frowned, lowering his hand from his head to point down the alleyway, "We're here."

Tomatoredd blinked. He had been lost in thought again, and gave a small nod, "Right."

Torm practically threw himself back into the box, sitting all the way in the back, and pulling his hoodie up over his mouth. Scribble let out a quiet squeak, curling up next to him. Torm seemed to drift off immediately, and Tomatoredd sighed, sitting down next to Scribble, who glanced up at him.

"hOT."

Tomatoredd sputtered, raising an eyebrow, "What?"

Scribble opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He instead stared up at the top of the box, not saying a word. Tomatoredd looked out of the box. He still didn't have a job. Without it, he won't have the money to help them. So the fusion got back to his feet, glancing back, "I'll be back."

Scribble wordlessly nodded, and Tomatoredd walked out of the alleyway again, with a plan.

_He needs a job to help his family._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> would you guys believe me if i said that i wrote most of this in science class


	7. Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Torm's sleepiness becomes a way for me to give snippets into the clones lives.

It was freezing, since when did it get so cold? No matter how much he sank into his hoodie, he was still cold. Exhaustion seeped into his bones, and he just wanted to sleep. Torm's mind was like static, and extremely lonely. So lonely. Ever since Tord fronted for those few minutes when he and Scribble were looking for Tomatoredd, it seemed as if he vanished. Not a word spoken, and it was empty.

His shoulder hurt, and there were moments he wanted to just get rid of it, of the shoulder. He would survive.

He was tired.

He just wanted to sleep.

* * *

 

When he woke up, it was for a few minutes. His headache from earlier had dulled to an annoying throb constantly behind his temple, never enough to bother him, but enough to be noticeable.  
Tomatoredd was chatting with Scribble, and both seemed much more enthusiastic then they were when he last saw them. There was that brief moment where his mind betrayed him, and he wondered if they'd be better without him.

But Scribble turned around and saw him, and brightened even more, patting Tomatoredd's knee, "tOrM AWakE!"

Tomatoredd beamed at him, and held up a Styrofoam box, and Torm frowned at it, looking up at the other fusion skeptically. There was a moment of confusion across his face, but eventually he was smiling again, "I got a job!"

Torm pulled his hoodie tighter around him. It was so cold. But he took the box, frowning, "Where?"

Tomatoredd ran his hand through his hair, grinning sheepishly, "The local diner. I'm a waiter there. They let me have some food for the road, but I wouldn't be too surprised if it ends up that they're taking the price of it out of my paycheck."

It was like a puzzle piece clicking together, and Torm became acutely aware of the other boxes, the ones the others have. And it was like the two days without food came rushing at him, and he was hungry.  
Scribble had a waffle, and it was drenched in maple syrup. Torm wondered how he is able to survive the sweetness. Tomatoredd's box had some half-eaten pasta.

Torm hesitantly opened his box, and found some pancakes. He could eat this. Tomatoredd handed him a plastic fork, and Torm took a couple bites and put it back down, feeling like he'd choke, or worse, vomit if he ate anymore.

Maybe he wasn't that hungry after all.

Scribble ate the rest of his waffle, and had begun chewing on the Styrofoam. Torm wasn't that fazed by it. Tomatoredd, on the other hand, was, and practically snatched it away from the smaller clone, sticking his tongue out in disgust as he flicked it outside. They literally live in a box, in an alleyway. Priorities.

"What'd you do for the," Torm's voice trailed off, as he tried to remember the words he was looking for, "The thing, you know?"

Tomatoredd simply raised an eyebrow, echoing him, "'The thing.'"

Torm wanted to object, or at least explain what he wanted to say, but couldn't seem to find his voice. So instead, the conversation fell into an awkward silence, with Scribble glancing despairing at the Styrofoam across the alley. Maybe he could sleep again, it seemed to be calling him once more.

It was getting late too, becoming sunset. The dark clouds were getting closer, but no one paid much attention to it. The sky was shifting through a pastel version of the rainbow, the clouds mixtures of pink, orange and blue. What a sight.

Taking one more moment to admire it, his eyelids began to droop closed, and he drifted off.

* * *

 

"tOMatO gOT a jOB! i duN KNow wHAt it mEAns thOGh,"

Torm was immediately flooded by the cold, but he didn't care. What he did care about was the fact that he could barely see, and he rubbed his eyes to get the sleepiness out of it. It wasn't until he spotted Scribble's outline made out of a harsh yellow did he realize that it was simply just nighttime.

So who would Scribble be talking too?

Glancing to his side, Tomatoredd was sound asleep, lanky limbs sprawled out across the box. Outside of the box, Scribble was sitting in the middle of the alleyway, looking up at the sky.

Wait-- was he talking to the _stars_?

Torm frowned, starting to breath through his mouth, as if it'd make him warmer. He vaguely recalls Scribble telling him about it, but he never thought the clone would actually try have a conversation with them.

"tORm iS HUrt," Scribble was tugging at his hoodie strings, and shuffled awkwardly, "i hOPe hES OkaY."

Torm was starting to fall asleep again, feeling slightly better knowing that Scribble cared. He almost didn't catch the final sentence before he fell back asleep.

"i dONt wANt hIM tO jOIn yOU."

* * *

 

When he woke up again, Torm was irritated. It always wants to sleep, so why wouldn't his body let him? He considered groaning, but he realized Scribble was both asleep. Turns out that Tomatoredd had awoken the other fusion, and Torm was squinting at him in the dim light of dawn.

"Is waking up super early, then proceeding to leave going to become your 'thing'?" Torm shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets, pain running up his shoulder as he did.

Tomatoredd rolled his eyes, chuckling, "I have a job, remember?"

"Right," Torm gave a tired grin, "Whatever you say, mom."

"While I'm gone, don't start running again, don't stray too far from Scribble," Tomatoredd began, listing off rules.

It wasn't even halfway did Torm raise his hand, drying continuing, "Don't burn the box done. Don't talk to strangers and no parties. Got it."

With a final nod, Tomatoredd began walking away. The fact that he needed to be told not to agitate his wound irritated Torm. The fusion was making it like he was helpless.

He wasn't. He thinks.

The gun in his hoodie pocket was never heavier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> actual deleted scene from this story (aka 'the thing');
> 
> boss; so whats your name?  
> tomatoredd; uh its redd  
> boss; whats your last name??  
> tomatoredd;  
> tomatoredd;  
> tomatoredd; *sweats*


	8. Walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomatoredd walks to work with a friend. I wonder who they could be? Could be anyone. Could be that dude from Chapter Two-- It's Laurel. Laurel is literally his only friend.

"You actually did it? I knew you would've gotten the job!" Laurel practically yelled. She gave Tomatoredd a playful punch to the shoulder, beaming brightly at him. 

"They were really desperate," Tomatoredd chuckled, scratching the back of his head. With a vague backstory and even an even vaguer skillset, it was a mystery as to why he was hired. But he was grateful nonetheless, "It was nothing special."

"Come on, lighten up! I mean, think about it. You got in, when other people applied!" Laurel replied, placing her hands on her hips. 

Tomatoredd paused for a moment to stare at her, raising an eyebrow and replying flatly, "There was only one other person that tried, and they had an emo haircut. Jeez, you're making it like I got into a private school or something."

Laurel stopped walking, and looked thoughtful. What she was thinking about was besides Tomatoredd, and frankly, he didn't really care. While he did enjoy her company, he would much prefer her to leave him alone. Keeping her around was like a ticking timebomb -- waiting until the four slip up and reveal that they aren't what they seem. Especially with her experiences with their original selves. That would be a mess, one Tomatoredd would preferably not be around to experience. 

He was so caught up in thought that he didn't notice Laurel was now looking at him expectantly. Had she said something? Inwardly, all four minds all scrambled for answers, but none of them had been paying attention to her. So he sighed, running a hand through his hair before asking, "What did you say? I wasn't listening."

Laurel sighed as well, though this one was more in an endearing manner. She shook her head lightly, still smiling. Tomatoredd frowned slightly at the action, but didn't comment. She had to jog slightly to catch up to him, but it didn't seem to hinder her at all, "I said that if I was making it like a private school, then it makes you getting in even better!"

"Oh," Tomatoredd blinked once, then twice. Was that all she said? He shrugged his thoughts off, instead rolling his eyes, "Right."

"What did you think I was going to say?" Laurel asked, chuckling under her breath. 

Tomatoredd didn't dare meet her gaze, instead just focusing on the sidewalk ahead of him. and the destination. He needed to get to work. He could do this. When he responded, he still never faced her, "Nothing important."

She was obviously thinking, but Laurel didn't say anything. So instead, the conversation fell into a somewhat-awkward silence. Tomatoredd was fine with it, but Laurel seemed impatient to pick it back up from where they left off. 

"So who were those people from yesterday?"

Of course she'd ask about them. Tomatoredd glanced at her, and gave a vague hand gesture, this time paying attention to where he moved his arm, "Is 'old friends' not enough?"

Laurel huffed, crossing her arms. There was a slight falter in her step, but only for a second, "Yes. It's just that one of them looked familiar, and maybe they were like, their secret child or something."

Tomatoredd stared at her, eyebrows shooting up. There was a moment of silence before he burst out laughing, doubling over and his hand being raised to his mouth to muffle it. At first it was like lifting a weight off his shoulders. He hasn't laughed since they escaped. But the relief turned sour. The other's laughs began bleeding into his, and the other three's control over Tomatoredd began apparent, with Tom trying to correct their posture, Matt trying to pry their hand away from their face, Tord trying to regain control, and Edd being the only one to keep them walking. 

"Uh, Redd, you okay?" Laurel reached a hand towards Tomatoredd, and all four different minds yelled their opinion.  _Hold accept off **away** \--_

Tomatoredd corrected himself in rather jerky movements, giving quick nods. He didn't acknowledge her hand anymore, "Of course. Just remembered something."

Laurel was searching his gaze for something, eyebrows furrowed and lower lip jutting out as she concentrated. Once again, she didn't say anything. The silence scared Tomatoredd and he began walking faster. But Laurel kept up, "So where are you from?"

"What?" Tomatoredd blinked, turning to her. He expected her to pry, but he wasn't complaining. 

"I recognize like most people from my childhood," Laurel explained. She mumbled something Tomatoredd didn't catch, but she continued, "But I don't remember you. And you have an accent, so..."

Tomatoredd coughed awkwardly, scrambling for an answer. Laurel must've noticed how frantic he looked, because she shrugged, "You don't have to tell me."

"One day," Tomatoredd promised. Whether he chose to tell her or it was on mistake, he didn't know. But she'd know eventually. There was the thought that telling her before he got attached could save him from the inevitable sadness that would come when she finds out. But he didn't listen. He's trying not to be emo. 

Laurel shrugged, then immediately began wiggling her eyebrows, "When I find out where you come from, you can find out what's up with my head."

"Your head?" Tomatoredd squinted at her, not sure if she was serious or not. No offence to Torm, but is everyone he has met thus far hurt? If so, this was getting rather ridiculous.

"What the media doesn't tell you," Laurel grinned, her voice just barely above a whisper as she leaned towards him, "After the production of Space Cats."

He hasn't exactly been on any media, nor has he seen Space Cats, so Tomatoredd had no clue what she was talking about. Trying to play it off, he tried to reply as nonchalantly as possible, "You're sounding like a reporter. You should put ads on websites."

"Websites? Like Facebook?" Laurel asked as they crossed a crosswalk. 

"Yeah, that's what I meant."

Laurel was about to respond when Tomatoredd paused in front of the diner. She stopped, staring at it. It was quaint, and they probably sold cola by the gallons. Tomatoredd began walking through the parking lot, and Laurel called after him, "See if you can get me free food!"

Tomatoredd turned around and walked backwards as he yelled back, "Don't count on it!"

Laurel gave a wave as she continued walking, to wherever she goes. Tomatoredd didn't know, which he supposed added another layer of mystery. The door was primarily made of glass, as if waiting for someone to be kicked through it. When he pushed it open, a bell chimed overhead. The inside was filled with lots of warm hues, giving it an almost snug, welcoming feel.

This was it, a real job. 


	9. Authors Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i got some bad news  
> whoops

hi! im eclipsed_pendulum (or eclipse) and the sole creator of room for lease

if its not obvious enough-- this fic does not have an editor and actually most of it is written on a phone

most of the time after chapters are finished they are almost immediately posted (once again if this wasnt obvious enough)

i was never satisfied with how i wrote the characters and how they reacted to thomas and realistic matts death

most chapters arent planned but in fact just something that i wrote (an example being the stars chapter-- which actually ended up becoming a large part of my scribble)

while it is likely that one day i will revisit this fic-- whether its continuing it or just rewriting it-- until then i will regretfully say that room for lease is now on a indefinite hiatus

i will still be writing fanfics (however none are planned to be multi-chaptered) and i will still be posting art on my tumblr (eclipsed-pendulum)

so thanks for sticking this far and reading room for lease!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> on a side note;  
> i would like to thank averin for being here since the beginning and actually motivating me to get to chapter 8  
> i would also like to thank pencilwolf15 for actually inspiring me to make a fic about the rejects
> 
> but overall i would like to thank everyone whos read up until this point and i hope you have a wonderful day /night??

**Author's Note:**

> 'i suck at writing' i say as i post my writing on a fanfiction website


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